News in brief - Dec. 4, 2006

AMA: Cigarettes should be fire-safe - AMA health system reform plan updated - AMA to push government to change Medicaid citizenship rule for newborns - Promoting Medicare preventive care - AMA to shore up emergency system - Insurer group's plan would cover most uninsured Americans

AMA: Cigarettes should be fire-safe

A new policy adopted by the AMA House of Delegates calls for the Association to seek federal legislation requiring all cigarettes sold in the United States to be self-extinguishing.

Michigan delegates, who made the proposal at last month's Interim Meeting, said fire-safe cigarettes decrease the burning power of cigarettes when they're not being puffed. Such products will not burn intensely for the time necessary to ignite most household fabrics, they said. In 2004, New York enacted a law requiring all cigarettes sold in the state to be self-extinguishing, the policy said

AMA health system reform plan updated

At the Interim Meeting, the AMA House of Delegates said the Association's health system reform proposal needs additional refinement regarding the scope of health care benefits, financing of care for those with high health expenses, and an estimation of the cost and coverage gains of implementing a system of tax credits.

The policy change deals with expanding health insurance coverage to the uninsured and calls for the AMA to review the appropriate scope of required health insurance benefits for such benefits to qualify for tax credits or other federal subsidies. It calls for the AMA to review the financing of health care and insurance coverage for those with chronic illnesses or who are experiencing catastrophic health expenses.

The policy also said the AMA would conduct new tax credit simulations on varying components of its proposal to expand health insurance coverage and choice.

AMA to push government to change Medicaid citizenship rule for newborns

The AMA will strongly urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to amend a federal rule to specify that a state Medicaid agency's record of payment for a baby's birth in a U.S. hospital is satisfactory documentation of identity and citizenship.

A Medicaid rule adopted earlier this year requires proof of citizenship via original birth certificate, passport or other official identification. The risk of non-payment to physicians for services to newborns is great, doctors said, because birth certificates may not be available for months.

Promoting Medicare preventive care

The AMA will collaborate with state, county and specialty medical societies; federal agencies; and other groups to promote to the public and profession the value of Medicare-covered preventive services.

Under the new policy adopted at the Interim Meeting, the Association will emphasize reaching underserved populations, including people who have limited or no health insurance before reaching Medicare age. The effort also calls for disseminating education resources to assist doctors in incorporating evidence-based preventive measures into their practices.

AMA to shore up emergency system

AMA delegates adopted recommendations aimed at saving the hospital-based emergency care system. A June Institute of Medicine report declared the system "at the breaking point." Delegates at the November Interim Meeting directed the AMA to advocate for additional residency slots in emergency and trauma care, and for financial incentives, such as loan repayment, to attract physicians.

Delegates also asked the AMA to take a bigger role in supporting legislation backed by the American College of Emergency Physicians that would limit tort liability for doctors providing care under the federal Emergency Treatment and Active Labor Act. The AMA will report progress at the 2008 Annual Meeting.

Insurer group's plan would cover most uninsured Americans

America's Health Insurance Plans in November proposed covering the 46.6 million uninsured Americans with a combination of new portable "universal health accounts," expanded public health programs and tax deductions for health care spending. The accounts would allow people to purchase coverage and pay for qualified medical expenses with pre-tax dollars. The federal government would provide matching dollars for working families.

The $300 billion plan would be phased in over a decade and would begin by expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program to cover children in families with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty line. Adults with incomes below 100% of the line would be covered within a decade. The insurance group did not specify how to pay for the proposal.